


Who is the Zanpakuto?

by Aria6



Series: A Coyote's Stories [61]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-23
Updated: 2015-03-23
Packaged: 2018-03-19 08:17:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3602928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aria6/pseuds/Aria6
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Author's Note: This is the concept of Starrk and Lilynette alluded to in Parasite. Also, I'm sick as hell. Going to die.</p>
    </blockquote>





	Who is the Zanpakuto?

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: This is the concept of Starrk and Lilynette alluded to in Parasite. Also, I'm sick as hell. Going to die.

Starrk dozed in the sun, enjoying the warmth of it. It was gradually creeping away and eventually, he would have to move to catch more of it. Not yet, however. Or perhaps he should go outside? But it was windy and without his hierro he would feel it.

Half-opening stormcloud grey eyes, he idly reached up to touch the extremely potent limiter around his neck. Purified seki-stone, it was inscribed with the symbol for the Eighth. He belonged to Kyoraku Shunsui, his personal property and prisoner. Starrk didn't mind. He wasn't required to do a single thing except not cause trouble, and he could do that easily. Lilynette, on the other hand…

Starrk smiled as he closed his eyes and cast out his awareness, finding his other half with ease. The shinigami didn't understand. They were as clueless as Aizen and really, they should have known better. He'd stood in front of Shunsui and told the man that they'd once been the same hollow. Yet, he hadn't thought about the implications. It seemed no one ever did.

Lilynette knew he was there instantly. They were one and the same, separate yet deeply conjoined. She said nothing to him – why should she? They both knew what he was thinking – and just continued listening to the meeting of the Shinigami Women's Association. It seemed they were desperate to raise funds and they were planning to make a cell phone case? Starrk had only the vaguest idea what that was. He did find the designs entertaining.

Turning his attention away, Starrk decided it was time to sleep. He could explore all of Lilynette's memories later.

For now, he would enjoy the sun.

* * *

_Are we ever going to show these shinigami what's what?_ Lilynette's thought – his own thought, really – came to him as they lay together, enjoying the warmth of each other's bodies as they dozed. _If we do that we will lose our friends._ That thought was fully merged, neither of them and both. _Are they really our friends though? But does it matter? It's so nice to hear voices when we sleep. So good to know we're not alone._ Thoughts bounced off each other but now they could bounce off other people, too. That was a joy.

The shinigami didn't realize that their binding of Starrk's power had a fatal flaw. That flaw was Lilynette. Thinking she was much weaker, they'd fitted her with a weaker version of his retaining collar. A huge mistake… if they chose, all of their power could be thrown into his smaller half. SHE could take the dominant position and Starrk could be the submissive one, for a time. That would easily shatter her collar and when she called him into resurrection, his would go too. They would be free.

_What use is freedom when there's nothing there? The look on their faces would be so funny, though._ That thought was more Lilynette's than his and Starrk chuckled in his sleep. Lilynette giggled sleepily, mimicking him. _Maybe someday, if we have to. Those nobles can't be trusted. Or maybe even if someone is trying to hurt them._ Before he'd come to Soul Society, Starrk would never have imagined shinigami had so many enemies. Now, though, he'd seen countless rebellions and minor skirmishes. And he'd only been here ten years? _It's not likely. They're strong._

"Starrk-san! Lilynette-chan!" Starrk cracked his eyes open as Lilynette grumbled. She disliked being called 'chan' although she really was quite cute. Shunsui was there, silhouetted by the sun. Speaking of which…

"You make a better door than a window, taichou-san." Starrk said drowsily. He wanted his sunbeam back. The man laughed before moving out of the way and rustling something? Starrk was indifferent but Lilynette immediately woke up.

"Hey, one of those fish things! Is that for us?" She asked eagerly and Starrk saw the man nod through closing eyes. "Sweet!" She grabbed the fish shaped cake and bit into it with relish. Starrk enjoyed the taste of sweet and crunchy on his tongue.

"Don't be greedy, Lilynette-chan." Shunsui's tone was gently reproving and Starrk felt Lilynette stop eating in confusion. "Shouldn't you share it with Starrk?" That made her laugh and him chuckle, although not for a reason they would explain.

"Nah, he doesn't need any!" She said merrily. "He's too sleepy." And he didn't need to share it when he could feel everything from his other half. Starrk smiled, enjoying every moment.

Then a hand gently touched his neck and Starrk opened his eyes for a moment. Shunsui was checking his collar. He did that regularly, to make sure it was containing his immense energies properly. Many of the shinigami were very worried about him. Starrk gave him an understanding smile before closing his eyes again. There was a soft sigh above him and Starrk knew that Shunsui was concerned about their future. Central 46 still hadn't made a decision. Apparently, it could take decades. Starrk was not concerned.

If the shinigami decided to destroy them, they would be gone.

* * *

Starrk had no sun. It was annoying.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he gazed up at the sky. Theoretically, it should have been the middle of the day. But the potent reiatsu someone was releasing was blotting out the sky. It was very strong although not really as strong as his own power. A hand tugged on his arm and Starrk looked down at a single pink eye.

"Should we do something?" She asked aloud and Starrk tilted his head, thinking about it.

_We should see if they need help before taking any steps._ This might be another tempest in a teapot. It wouldn't be the first showy display of force that amounted to nothing. Lilynette nodded and they began to explore.

The Seireitei was looking rather rough. Shinigami were doing everything they could to protect the civilian population while dealing with the invaders. What were they, exactly? They looked like shadows, to Starrk's eyes. From the things the shinigami were shouting, though, they were seeing something else. Starrk yawned behind his hand, moving along unmolested. The shadows hardly seemed to notice him.

The powerful shinigami were fighting something more substantial, though. Starrk watched a bald man fighting hard, clearly enjoying every moment. Passing him on by… Starrk didn't know him… they came across someone they did know.

Ise Nanao was fighting hard, casting kido after kido, her face shiny with sweat. Starrk frowned as he watched, sensing that she was exhausting herself. Her skill with kido was not matched by the strength of her reiatsu pool… Starrk wistfully wished he could use kido. If he could fit his monstrous power through such things, he would be unstoppable. But he couldn't and Nanao was definitely in trouble. Where was taichou-san? He was usually careful to not let his 'Nanao-chan' get hurt…

_We need to do something!_ _But if we do we might have to leave… I don't know… but she was so nice to us. She gave us a book and taught us to read._ Starrk remembered those lessons. Lilynette had gone off to play, since she didn't need to bore herself when Starrk was doing it for her. What he knew, she knew.

Decision came and all their power swung, focusing on Lilynette. Her weaker collar could not hold and snapped with a brittle crack. Nanao looked around, eyes wide as the shadows suddenly noticed the two hollows. They reacted in confusion as Lilynette rested a hand on Starrk's chest and spoke.

"Kick about, Los Lobos!" It didn't sound as ridiculous as it might have. The way he vanished and power exploded around Lilynette ensured that. The seki-stone collar that had rested around Starrk's throat tumbled through the air, bypassed in a way no one had envisioned. "Haha!" Lilynette grinned fiendishly as she deployed her guns.

And so the Primera Espada joined the battle. Lilynette was the fiercer of the two and resurrecting this way had thrown her into ascension, so they fought with great ferocity. It helped that the enemies were so strange. They had no compunctions about destroying things that hardly seemed _real_ at all.

Starrk wasn't sure how much they really affected things. He wasn't sure what was going on at all. But eventually there were no more targets and she/he lowered his/her guns. Then a very familiar taichou appeared in front of them, flanked by Juushiro.

"Hello taichou-san." Lilynette's voice was oddly adult as they spoke. "Are you surprised?" She grinned then, cheekily. "Hey, anyone got a mirror? We've never resurrected like this before!" They'd never saw the point. Starrk was the natural focus.

"You… were you always able to do this?" Shunsui seemed both horrified and fascinated as his eyes went over them. They laughed, happy with themselves.

"Of course! We told you we're the same hollow. I am Starrk and he is me… one and two doesn't always make three…" Lilynette sang as Starrk laughed silently. "When I see something, Starrk does too. When he learns something, I do too. When I taste something, he does too." From the startled look on taichou-san's face, he was remembering all the treats Lilynette had eaten while Starrk declined. "And if we want, we can throw our power back and forth. So who is the zanpakuto? I think calling our energies a zanpakuto is stupid anyway – oh!" More soul reapers were coming, attracted by the unbridled power. "Well, we stayed mostly because we knew we could leave. Now it's time to go." They both were very sad at that but they knew they couldn't take a chance on staying. There would be powerful collars on them both, now. The garganta sprang up behind them and the two taichou-san in front of them looked deeply torn. Then Shunsui gripped Juushiro's shoulder.

"Shunsui…?" Juushiro said as Starrk/Lilynette stepped into the garganta.

"They saved Nanao. I saw it… good luck, Starrk-san, Lilynette-chan." He said and Lilynette grinned at him before the garganta closed. Then she/he began skipping down the passage to Hueco Mundo.

They could control their power much better now. Perhaps they could even find friends.


End file.
